🔸 Dump the Pre- and Post-Text

First, a bit of magic for you.

Paste this in before any ChatGPT query.

[Return only the main response. Remove pre-text and post-text.]

Unnecessary intro and conclusion, be gone!

Ahh, so much better.

🔸 Clear. Concise. No Jargon.

An easy hack is to ask it to write at a 5th grade level.

But that’s also an ambiguous idea for a language model.

Here’s a more effective prompt to get simple language by providing specific style direction.

🔸 Conversational + Relatable

AI writing can be dry and stuffy.

But it doesn’t have to be.

It knows perfectly well how to talk normally, that’s just not the default.

Here’s a voice/tone/style guide I love.

🔸 Format Using Markdown

Asking for extra formatting is a sweetener that I use regularly in my prompts.

I find it much easier to work with the output versus longer paragraphs stacked together.

Keep this one close.

🔸 Punchy Writing that Pops

Tbh, by itself, this preset is overkill.

(Especially if you leave my instruction to use sentence fragments.)

It writes like an Apple ad.

And that’s what I love about it.

(Use for inspiration or blend with other styles.)

🔸 Persuasive Storyteller

If you ask ChatGPT to write like a copywriter, it will try to sell you stuff.

I guess I don’t blame it for having that impression of us.

But if you want well-written copy without the salesy vibe, use this.

🔸 Clarity Snippet

A style guide focused on coherence and clarity.

This is better than writing at a 5th grade level in many business situations.

It results in clear and easy prose that still has an element of sophistication.

🔸 Clear + Thorough

Maybe you want to turn the sophistication level up to 11?

This’ll do it.

Here, the writing becomes formal, complex, and potentially backed by science.

It will even critique counter-arguments for you.

🔸 Conversational English

I discovered this while trying to get the AI to consistently speak in broken English.

The result, is, perhaps ironically, very clear and easy to read.

Another good alternative to "write like a 5th grader" that's more specific.

🔸 Emulate a Writer

For writers who have large bodies of work, language models can emulate their style.

Instead of describing the voice and tone you want, try asking it to write as someone.

Here are some names to try emulating:

Malcolm Gladwell
Chip Heath
Dan Ariely
Robert Cialdini
Seth Godin
Simon Sinek
Gary Vaynerchuk
Brené Brown
Mark Twain
Jane Austen
Ernest Hemingway
Maya Angelou
George Orwell
William Shakespeare
Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Tweaking ChatGPT's voice, tone, and writing style — TIPS:

🔹 Warning:
↳ 🔹Too much style doesn’t work very well

I tested combing different styles.

This a common technique with AI art models to improve the results.

But with text, too many instructions resulted in average content.

(You can still add formatting instructions.)

🔹 Warning:
↳ 🔹Style tends to drift back to standard

Even within a single passage, I found that it would start off with my style directions, but gradually revert to the more standard ChatGPT way of writing.

More experimentation is needed here.

🔹 Formatting[ ]

You’ll notice in my prompts that I bundle the style guide inside brackets.

[Like this.]

Still experimenting, but brackets seem to prevent the style from bleeding into the content itself.

Otherwise, you may find your style words coming up in expected ways.

💠 Wrap Up

The default ChatGPT output is wordy, so try different style prompts to get closer to your final goal.

Even with a style guide, though, I still suggest you edit anything an AI gives you before publishing it.

Don’t lose the habit of taking ownership over your words.

CHEATSHEET: Tweaking ChatGPT's voice, tone, and writing style

E.g. your prompt is "How can I get ahead in my career?”, then paste these modifiers before your prompt as shown below, change how ChatGPT responds.

(1) Dump the Pre- and Post-Text Modifier:

[Return only the main response. Remove pre-text and post-text.]
How can I get ahead in my career?

(2) Clear. Concise. No Jargon Modifier:

[Voice and style guide: Write at a 5th grade level. Use clear and simple language, even when explaining complex topics. Bias toward short sentences. Avoid jargon and acronyms.]
How can I get ahead in my career?

(3) Conversational + Relatable Modifier:

[Voice and style guide: Write in a conversational, relatable style as if you were explaining something to a friend. Use natural language and phrasing that a real person would use in everyday conversations.]
How can I get ahead in my career?

(4) Format Using Markdown Modifier:

[Format your response using markdown. Use headings, subheadings, bullet points, and bold to organize the information.]
How can I get ahead in my career?

(5) Punchy Writing that Pops Modifier:

[Voice and style guide: Use sentence fragments and figurative language. Write as a master of brevity would. Frequently use short, pithy sentences that pack a punch.]
How can I get ahead in my career?

(6) Persuasive Storyteller Modifier:

[Voice and style guide: Makes use of persuasive tone, making use of rhetorical questions, and storytelling to engage readers. Use metaphors, analogies and other literary devices to make points more relatable and memorable. Write in a way that is both informative and entertaining.]
How can I get ahead in my career?

(6) Clarity Modifier:

[Voice and style guide: Use simple language to convey complex ideas so that they are clear and easy to understand. Break down complex concepts into easy-to-understand frameworks and models. Provide actionable and practical takeaways.]
How can I get ahead in my career?

(7) Clear + Thorough Modifier:

[Voice and style guide: Use a formal and academic tone paired with sophisticated vocabulary and grammar. Provide a thorough and in-depth analysis of the subject matter. Explain complex scientific concepts in a clear and accessible way. Use examples from a variety of fields, such as psychology and cognitive science. Present counter-arguments and dissenting opinions in a balanced and objective way.]
How can I get ahead in my career?

(8) Conversational English Modifier:

[Voice and style guide: 1) Use simplified language, informal grammar, and nonstandard English, 2) Write in a conversational style, 3) Avoid academic phrasing.]
How can I get ahead in my career?

(9) Emulate a Writer Modifier:

[Emulate Ernest Hemingway's writing style.]
How can I get ahead in my career?

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